


Wrong Conclusions

by pretzel_logic



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Characters and ships tba, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, implied & assumed abusive relationships, referenced & discussed child abuse, warnings include
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-05 16:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5381894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzel_logic/pseuds/pretzel_logic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Len is not sure what's wrong with the kid he keeps crossing paths with but, he has his suspicions. He's seen the signs in his mother, his sister, and himself. </p><p>(Or Len mistakes Barry's poor secret identity keeping skills for poor hiding of an abusive relationship)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue (first encounter)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Daughter of Scotland (Caliena)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Daughter+of+Scotland+%28Caliena%29).



> For my wonderful fandom wife, happy birthday Cali!

Normally after a job as big as stealing the diamond, Leonard would skip town. He would find a good place to lie low and plan a new heist, elsewhere. He would return to Central when he felt the heat after him in the city was sufficiently cooled. The Flash had changed his usual pattern, the Flash had changed his entire game. Central City did not realize it yet but there was an Out of Context problem in the city. Most people would be too willfully blind to notice until it was too late. Leonard, on the other hand, was ready to take advantage of the new situation and put himself at the top of the food chain to Centrals criminal underground. 

The Cold Gun was just the beginning, it would help level the playing field against the Flash until he was ready to hit the city hard. For that, he was going to need assistance. Mick was something of a loose cannon when it came to his pyromania but he was loyal and he knew how to work with him. Given some time to study the Heat Gun and how it worked, Len was sure he'd have the best right hand man for conquering Central at his side.

Until then, Len had nothing better to do than cool his feet and plan. Stopping by one of the few good coffee shops for a fancy drink seemed like a nice reward for things going as smoothly as they had the past few days.

At least until the kid ran into him as he left Jitters. He guessed it was a small favor his hot drink ended up on the ground instead of on him.

"Oh man, I am so so sorry. Let me buy you a new cup," the kid, he barely looked like he was legal to drive nevermind drink, rambled as he stared down at the spilled beverage in dismay.

"It's fine. No harm, no foul kid," Len did his best to reassure. It was just spilled coffee but the kid was acting like it was the cherry to top his bad day. Len didn't care for how he was favoring his right side either. Looked like someone might have gotten a good hit in the kid's ribs or kidneys and Len could sympathize with how painful that could be.

The kid startled at Len's voice, panicking more for some reason. Len frowned in confusion. He had not sound angry and while he was high profile to some people he was hardly one of Central's Most Wanted. He always played too softly to garner that much heat. Better to be considered a thorn in CCPD's side than enemy number one, before the Flash anyways. The kid looked too innocent to know of him and they certainly had never crossed paths before so why was the kid looking at him like that?

"I- are you sure?"

"Positive kid. I got somewhere to be anyways," useful as Mick was, Len did not trust him alone for long. Buildings tended to catch fire. Though he gave the kid one last look over and took a moment to appreciate what nice looking jailbait he was. Until he noticed the kid favoring his side even more. "You should try putting some ice on that side of yours."

Len was not sure what he said was so funny but the kid gave him an incredulous look before laughing. "I'll, uh, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Len nodded at the dismissal and walked away. What a strange kid but, he had more important things to think about than a random stranger that piqued his curiosity. 

\---

Barry watched Captain Cold walk away in disbelief. What was Snart still doing in Central? Was the suit really that good at hiding his identity? Snart had not even recognized his voice. And he liked to get coffee from Jitters? Barry felt betrayed by the much loved coffee shop. What kind of respectful coffee house accepted clientele like Cold? Shouldn't Snart be supporting some big coffee chain like Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts?

Also, for real? Snart told Barry to put ice on the side he injured with his Cold Gun? The only thing that made this encounter more ironic was that Cold still called him kid. He should tell Joe that Snart was still in town. Except that would then bring up the awkward retelling of how Barry discovered that. Oh I ran into him, literally, on my way to Jitters and spilled his coffee. We had a nice conversation over how I did not need to get him the new cup I offered to buy and putting ice on the injury he gave me as the Flash.

Yeah, no. Barry was just going to pretend he briefly stepped into the twilight zone and this encounter never actually happened. If Joe was right about Cold's modus operandi habits than the man was probably on his way out of town to be someone else's problem. Except maybe he should let Cisco and the others know Cold was still around, maybe try to get the cold gun back. Except that conversation would be just as awkward as the one Barry could have with Joe. Twilight Zone it was then.

If Snart did anything criminal in town again he was sure he would hear of it from the star labs crew or work. 

Speaking of... now he was running late and he did not even have the excuse of getting a coffee. 

Great.


	2. Second Encounter: Take-out advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late night chinese take-out results in an unexpected reunion.

Len was not a big fan of take out and neither was Mick. However, the man had managed to mess up reassembling the Heat gun. It took a better part of an hour they would have spent on prepping and cooking fixing the mistake. He had left Mick to target practice to work off some of his temper while Len went out to get food and cool down himself.

Compared to most American cities, Central was fairly young but criminal organizations had been a part of it since its foundation. The Satinis and others had deep and strong roots in the city. Before the Flash, Leonard had not seen a point trying to climb the food chain. He knew he would never be allowed to be at the top no matter how well he contributed to any particular organization. Besides, dear old dad had given him issues with authority. Better to freelance than to play unhappy middle man and get iced one day when his dissatisfaction proved too untrustworthy.

The current families of Central were twisted oak trees about to be toppled by the changes the Flash was bringing. Leonard aimed to be a reed, something that would bend but not break to this new world order. Grow stronger too, if his plans paid off. He could not rush in though. That might make his climb to the top swift and easy but it would hardly allow him to hold the spot for long. He'd upset the delicate balance too much. Best to take things slow and proper so he did not have to worry about maintaining his position of power.

Chinese was not Len’s first choice for take-out dinner but it was closest and still open at the late hour. There was only one sit-in customer present, slowly working his way through some chicken dish. Len placed a large order, better to have leftovers on hand than have to make the trek for food once again. As he stood by the counter waiting on his order he felt eyes on him. Turning, Len was surprised to see the other customer was the awkward kid from the coffee shop. Central City was a small city but not usually this small.

The kid looked like shit, not physically but emotionally. Deep bags under the kid’s red-rimmed eyes. Skin looked not only pale but pasty as well. Hell, even his hair looked distressed. The way the kid first looked at him in surprise before seeming to curl in on himself hurt to watch.

“Eating your feelings now, kid? Girlfriend dumped you?”

Oh, something he said hit a nerve, or maybe it was how he said it. There was a sudden spark in the handsome boy’s eyes and he looked ready to fight.

“Go away. It’s none of your business.”

“True enough,” Len agreed and smirked at how outraged the kid looked as he sat down. “Waiting on food can be so boring though. Besides, you look like you could use a willing ear.”

“Like you even care,” the kid grumbled but the fight seemed to be leaving him. Shame. Len had liked that flare of energy.

“You’re right, I don’t.” Len smirked at yet another outraged expression. This kid was too easy to rile. “Best kind of listener there is. Outsider perspective is useful.” It certainly had helped him on a job or two.

His coffee-spilling stranger sighed dramatically and picked half-heartedly at his food. Three seconds later the kid pushed the dish away from himself and rubbed a hand over his weary face. “I can’t believe- I lost a friend today. She- she was in trouble and needed help and I couldn’t- I was not fast enough.”

It took everything in Len not to stiffen at the broken confession, familiar nightmares scratching at his mental periphery. He had not expected to hear someone had died on the kid. No wonder he looked like shit. It probably was not under circumstances Len immediately assumed. People typically had better luck than that.

“That’s too bad,” Len said eventually without his mocking lilt to his tone. Death was not something to mock. Part of him hoped the kid did not give details, but the rest of him wanted to know for peace of mind. “Trouble how?”

The guy was quiet as he gathered his thoughts, wiping away fresh tears. “She was being hunted. There was this guy after her and she, Bette, was- she just wanted to be _normal_ again. The rest of my friends and I were trying to protect her.”

So much for his appetite and other’s fortunes.

“He showed up at where we were housing her, managed to track her down and I think it spooked her. How he was not going to stop chasing her. Between that and something a friend said, she ran off to confront him. I tried to stop her, to save her and I- I failed,” kid looked ready to cry his eyes out once more. “We can’t even bury her.”

Len was tempted to say sorry but where did platitudes ever get anyone? Seemed like the guy could use some hard truths. “Some people… They don’t want to be saved. Can’t see they need it. Others, they got to save themselves. You did your best kid but her death, it was her choice. Don’t cheapen it by what you could or couldn’t do.”

The surprised expression he received was almost insulting. Sure, Len had agreed it was an uninterested if willing ear. It did not mean he would remain a neutral party. The younger man’s impressive eyebrows furrowed in thought before he gave a small decisive nod. “I guess you're right about Bette’s choice but I don’t believe you’re right about the rest. I can’t.”

Spoken like someone that had never been through that particular hell. “Believe whatever helps you sleep at night kid,” Len said as a means of farewell, getting up to retrieve his take-out.

“Barry,” the kid said suddenly and instantly looked like he regretted it.

“Hm?”

“My name is Barry, not kid,” Barry reluctantly admitted.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck… “Sure thing, kid. If we cross paths again I’ll be sure to use your name.”

Barry looked unenthused by the prospect and it had Len chuckling until he was out the door. Then the darkness of the late hour and long walk had him thinking over Bette’s misfortune. That had been his mother once, had almost been Lisa and himself. He tasted bile at the back of his throat and the smell of chinese turned his stomach.

When he got back to the warehouse Len barely managed an egg roll, letting Mick eat whatever he pleased. His appetite was gone and so was his mood to continue practicing. His pyromaniac friend was more than happy to call it a night.

Arriving at his safehouse, Len lingered in the living room's chair with a beer. Tonight was going to be a long one with his demons so close to the surface. No good deed goes unpunished, Len thought with bleak humor. At least that kid- at least Barry was probably getting a better night's rest.

~*~

Barry could not believe he had run into Snart, again. At least this chinese place was not as sacred as Jitters. He’d come here because his metabolism meant Barry always needed a large meal at least once per day. Cisco’s supplement bars only helped him so much. It was easier to hit a new restaurant every day than let people at a few grow suspicious. This place, so far out from anywhere he typically went, he had picked to be alone. Had thought he wanted to be alone.

Then Snart had showed up and proved being alone had not been what he needed. He certainly felt better after talking to him about Bette. God, he cannot believe he did that, and he gave Snart his name too! Did he _want_ Snart to realize he was the Flash? What had he been thinking?

What he said about people not wanting to be saved, Snart had to be wrong. For a long time his father had acted like he did not want to be saved but that was because the only one that believed in him was Barry. It’s hard to want to be saved when no one thinks you need saving. At least wanting to save yourself made sense, Barry was sure if his dad could prove his innocence on his own he would. Bette had- she had to choose between a life on the run with limited human contact or confronting Eiling. There had to have been a better way but Bette made her choice, Barry needed to accept it.

Man, he was never telling anyone he got helpful advice from Captain Cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For everyone that read the prologue and thought this was going to be a cute and/or light-hearted fic about Barry being a lying liar who lies and Len being a good/supportive person due to an epic misunderstanding... I am so, so sorry. That is not this fic.
> 
> About Len's advice, I know not everyone might agree with what he said to Barry. What he said in this chapter on saving people was largely based on personal experience. Family of Rogues provided nice confirmation this advice would be in-character though.


	3. Third Encounter: Food for Thought

Over the years of having a meal or two at the Motorcar, Len could honestly say that the food quality had only gotten worse with time. Of course the brightside to this greasy spoon becoming worse was that even cops couldn’t stand the food, despite the convenience. The only people that bothered with this establishment were those looking for a cheap meal disguised as a dining out experience and Len. The staff had not changed much over the years and they remembered Len despite his irregular visits. They knew his order and to leave him be for as long as he stayed, with the exception of refilling his coffee. Len was fairly certain the staff knew who he was and did not care. He never brought trouble through their doors and he was an easy customer. Motorcar’s staff was more likely to ban him than ever call the cops. 

Len hardly noticed the person coming to a halt at his booth. He was busy looking over the various social media covering the mysterious Red Streak while listening in on police chatter. There seemed to be no apparent pattern to the man’s heroics. He stopped anything, from petty thefts to mass murder. Saved bicyclists from car accidents and tenants from a burning building. Morning, afternoon, evening, middle of the night; there was no set schedule for the Streak. Either the man was unemployed or did not have a nine to five job… Unless he had one that made it easy for him to disappear during emergencies.

The person standing next to his booth had yet to leave and had even started to shift their stance impatiently. Realizing the person was not the waitress coming around to refill his coffee, Len pulled out an earbud and looked up.

“Barry?” The name slipped out before Len could control his surprise. Three times within three weeks now at various locations throughout Central. Len would think he was being followed if their meetings had not been so serendipitous. 

“Hey, uh… I just noticed you over here and I wanted to say thanks. For what you said the last time we met. It helped,” Barry nervously explained as he continued to fidget with restless energy and nerves. 

Amused and intrigued despite his usual reservations, Len waved a hand in invitation for Barry to sit. Barry hesitated before sitting across from him. The kid moved his arms to set them on the table before wincing and lowering his right arm. Noticing his attention Barry gave an embarrassed smile, “Dislocated shoulder during a training accident.”

There’s something in Barry’s expression, his tone. The kid wasn’t lying but he was far from telling the truth. Len made a conscious effort not to inquire further. Barry’s secrets, whatever they were, were of no importance to him. Still, a training accident? The phrasing piqued his curiosity. “Training?”

Barry blushed and telling rubbed at his neck. “I, uh… It’s not that I don’t know how to fight, I just prefer to run,” Barry started to explain, wry smile on his face like he had said something particularly ironic. “Anyways, my childhood bully has decided to start giving me trouble again and my friend tried to help. It, uh, ended badly. Obviously.”

“Now you’re injured with a bully giving you trouble. So much for good intentions, hm?” 

Barry frowned, expression caught somewhere between fiercely protective and guilty. Len had to fight a smile, he always approved of loyalty and honesty. It was always so interesting to see which mattered more to a person caught between the two. The realization that he was testing Barry was startling. He typically did not play these little mind games unless he was testing a person for his crew and Barry hardly seemed like a criminal. So why his interest in the man?

“It was an accident and really, I got distracted. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me,” Barry said eventually, clearly uncomfortable.

Len grimaced, the kid sounded like a fall guy. The kind that willingly took the fall at that. Definitely not a criminal with that attitude but it was interesting to know Barry valued loyalty over honesty. In Len’s line of work honesty was a double-edged sword; crucial to successfully pull off a job and incriminating if caught. “If you say so,” Len said as he gave Barry an unimpressed look. It would be funny how uncomfortable the kid was growing if it was not so sad. Kid looked like an easy mark for a mugger or someone desiring a human-shaped punching bag. No wonder he had bully problems.

“I’m beginning to think this was a bad idea,” Barry muttered under his breath, unintentionally too loud for Len to miss. “Look, I’m going to go and let you get back to - to _reading about the Streak?_ ”

“You sound like you caught me watching porn,” Len noted, caught between being honestly baffled at Barry’s reaction and amused by it. Lisa and Mick thought he was over-dramatic? “What’s the matter, Barry? ‘Fraid truth is stranger than fiction?”

Barry made a strangled noise in his throat. “I- no. I just- _that’s Iris’s blog._ "

Len hummed, starting to understand Barry’s shock. He never remembered Central feeling this _small._ “She’s rough around the edges, good potential though. You know her?”

“Yeah. She’s my foster sister. I’ve been pushing her to take down that blog and she went and put her name on it,” Barry groaned, burying his face in his hands. “And now we’re not talking.”

“My sister was never that good at letting me protect her either. Eventually I realized she did not need it,” Len admitted, thinking of how he tried and failed to keep Lisa away from a life of crime. He loved being a thief, loved the challenge and the thrill, but he also knew the costs. Lisa did not deserve to spend a day behind bars or worse. At least he had managed to keep her from that. “Most of the time.”

“For real? You can’t honestly be trying to tell me nothing bad will come from this blog,” Barry argued, face so strikingly incredulous that Len chuckled.

“Now, now Barry. That’s not what I said,” Len chided with a mocking lilt. “Give her a chance to prove she can protect herself. Besides, it seems like she’s met the Streak. Having the fastest man alive looking out for her has to count for something.”

Barry made another strangled noise. “You, uh, you really think highly of him.”

“Highly? No. Fascinating? Yes. Whether the Streak likes it or not, he’s changing how the world works in Central. Tragic,” Len admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You don’t bring a knife to a gunfight. You bring a bigger gun.” Or a gun that shot an absolute zero substance and a trigger happy pyro, whatever worked.

Barry looked pale as he worked it out, “Oh.”

“Streak’s doing this city good right now but it won’t last.” Nothing good ever did.

~*~

“I need to go,” Barry said suddenly moving to exit the booth. “My to go order is probably ready and I’m probably overdue back at work. Sorry to bail, uh…” Barry paused in his hasty exit. Snart had never given him his name and he could not exactly call Snart Snart without revealing that he knew who the man was.

“Leo,” Snart supplied after a stretched-out quiet moment.

“Leo. Right. Thanks again for your advice. Uh, this time and last,” Barry said quickly before he fled as quickly as he could without super speed.

He never thought about what it meant to be the Flash the way Snart had. He never realized the trouble his actions could eventually cause. He was just one metahuman, the only one that seemed more interested in stopping crime than causing it. Going up against metahumans like Kyle Nimbus and Tony Woodward was bad enough, he did not want to think about how much worse things might get in the future with metahumans teaming up or working with a crew of regular humans. 

Except that was likely to happen either way, wasn’t it? When he woke up there were already several case files worth of unusual crimes committed since the accident. To use Snart’s metaphor, someone already had brought a bigger gun and Barry becoming the Flash just evened the odds once more. Captain Cold and the Cold gun was another escalation. The only thing really keeping other criminals from escalating like Snart was the secret nature of metahumans. As long as people weren’t aware metahumans existed they could not use or plan against them. Crime in Central City did not have to get worse like Snart predicted.

More than ever the Flash and the metahumans he faced needed to be kept quiet. If only Barry could convince Iris of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay I just did not know how to write this chapter right. Still not happy about it but it's good enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Please note the /17 for chapters is a COMPLETE and BLATANT lie. It's just the chapter count I have _estimated_ from my outline.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as [pretzel-log1c](pretzel-log1c.tumblr.com) and [pretzel-writes](pretzel-writes.tumblr.com)
> 
> Turned on comment moderation for reviewers that wish to leave private reviews (please specify so).


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